Shocker

For the first time ever, since I've taken up canning 10 years ago, I am running out of jars! I never imagined I would run out of jars to fill!

My tomatoes have exceeded my expectations this year and I have canned 41 quarts so far. Not enough if we were pioneers and lived solely off our garden, but it's so much more than the previous years! I still need to tweak how many plants of what tomatoes, but I am pleased with the harvest so far. Several plants are starting to wither and fade, but at least half are still going strong.

If it wasn't for the corn, I'd still have empty jars, but I'm not complaining-- filled jars are better than empties! I have 3 cases of pint jars left and 1 case of half-pints. Zero quart jars. I have been feeding the kids applesauce more often for snacks just so I can get the quart jar back! The kids eat a whole quart in one sitting. I doubt I'll make applesauce this year, I still have plenty from last year. I think I will get a bushel or two of apples to make pies and apple chips though and to eat out of hand.

The local farm store is sold out of quart jars. I'm hoping to score a case or two when we go into town this week. I was hoping to can irish potatoes with some of the smaller ones when we harvest potatoes. Last year I shredded the smaller potatoes, blanched them, then froze them for making quick hash browns. It took up a lot of space in the freezer and a lot of my time to prepare them and besides, making fresh hash potatoes isn't that hard, so it wasn't like a huge time-saver. We do, however, love irish potatoes and now that I have the pressure canner, I thought I'd try making my own. Quart jars would be nice for this purpose.

I hope I'll always have this problem of not having enough jars. It means my harvest is going well and we'll eat good this winter! May you be as fortunate! :o)

Highs and Lows

High:

All summer long, the yardsales have either been slim pickings or we haven't been hitting them with our usual ferocity. But the last couple of weekends, when we happen to go out and spot a yard sale on the way, have more than made up for the summer's misses.


On our way to the next big town over, we spotted a yard sale at a house that has not had a yard sale in the entire 5 years we lived here. It's a round-ish style house so I always look at it as we go by. Anyway, it wasn't a whole lot of stuff, but I saw this basket with yarn and other goodies and when I asked, the lady said it was $4 for the whole thing. Good deal! A lot of the yarn is new and it had 3 sets of knitting needles, a couple of knitting pattern books, a teach yourself to knit booklet, and some crochet thread. Evelyn has been learning to knit on those knitting looms and so getting cheap yarn for her to practice with is great!

There was one skein of this wool yarn and I claimed it for myself. Evelyn asked me to show her how to knit with the needles but I only know how to do one basic stitch. I used to make those little washcloths from cotton yarn and that was quite a while back-- at least 15 years or so. I had to really struggle to remember how to do that and the little teach yourself to knit booklet wasn't too clear with the instructions, or at least, not how I remembered it. I finally figured out the basic stitching and I have been knitting a little here and there. I'm thinking gift for Christmas, if I can keep it up.

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Low:

I need to find a good, used fabric cleaner machine. I've been hoping to spot one, but no luck so far. They cost about $100 new and we don't have carpet except for in the apartment, so we'd only really use it on the couch. Either that, or we need to keep an eye out for a good, used couch. While Andrew was busy doing one thing, and I was busy doing another, Peter got into the fridge and dumped a nearly full gallon of milk on the couch. -sigh- It's still dripping milk an hour later. Even if we get a cleaning machine, it won't get into the insides of the couch, so it looks like our best bet would be to get a couch. Or else we put up with a stinky couch. -sigh- My plan was to wait until all the kids were over the age of 5 and then get a new couch, but this puts a little wrinkle into my plan. Not too sure what we are going to do about the couch. If money was no object, I'd get the couch reupholstered, but it's an issue, so what to do, what to do?

Maybe we'll get lucky again and score a couch at the thrift shop. There was a nice one there at the same time I saw the table and they were only asking $50 for it. It's gone now, but we could afford $50. Well. I guess we'll just clean up the couch as best as we can and see if it starts to smell in the next few days. It's not as hot now, so that helps. Rancid milk is not a pleasant smell.

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Andrew is busy outside and I'm busy on the computer, so I better go and make sure Peter isn't busy getting into mischief.

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Table for 7 (or 8, or 9, or 10...)

With 4 children and 3 adults gathering for meals everyday, and Peter not content to sit in the high chair anymore, it quickly became apparent that we needed a bigger table. Andrew's grandparents' red formica table comfortably seats 6 with the leaf in and with guests, we had to squeeze in a couple of chairs in the corners. It was time to find something bigger.

I'd been keeping an eye out for a new table-- watching the sales ads, checking prices at stores, looking around at the thrift shops. I even considered making one by getting new banisters from the hardware store for the legs, and then using planks from one of the many sawmills around here and creating a farm-style table. It's been a few months since we started searching; new tables are out of our price range and the ones at yard sales haven't won us over.

I stopped at the local thrift shop a couple weeks ago, looking for something else when I spotted a table. Oh! I immediately fell in love with it, but there was another lady looking at it and I didn't want to rush over and push her into buying it when she sees another interested party. After she walked away (whew!) I moseyed on over and casually looked at it, pretending I wasn't really interested in it. But I couldn't resist, it was just perfect for what we needed. Damn! Andrew wasn't with me so I couldn't ask him, and I was 99.9% sure that he'd like it too, but still, I hate to buy something big without his input.

I asked the worker there if there was any way they could put it on hold for me, and she suggested putting down 25%, but it was non-refundable and if Andrew didn't like it, I'd be out that 25%. I pleaded a little bit, saying I didn't want to buy something large without my husband's approval and I'd send him right over as soon as I got home-- about an hour it'd would take him to get there: 30 minutes for me to get home and 30 minutes for him to come up. The worker called the manager over and she looked me up and down, perhaps assessing whether I was sincere or just wasting their time, but she agreed and said they'd hold it for me!! Eeeee!! I was so happy, I left in a rush, telling them that a bald-headed guy would be in soon, that his name was Andrew and thanked them several times before leaving the store.

As soon as I got home, Andrew came out to meet me in the driveway to help unload the van and I told him to get to the thrift shop as fast as he could. Bless his heart, he knows when I am serious and I would only tell him to go if there was something really worth checking out. He wasted no time, turned around, went back into the house and changed his clothes, got his wallet and keys and left.

It was still there-- they had put a 'sold' sign on it and just as I thought, he liked it too. He paid for it and brought it home and it's the perfect size for us, with a little room leftover for guests and no squeezing either! No chairs, so I am on the look-out for chairs, but for now, the old chairs we used with the formica table will do.

Not too sure what kind of wood it is, mahogany maybe? Something else? The leaf folds under for storage so no worries about where to store it if we didn't need it. It's not perfect, there's a spot where someone left a hot iron and you can tell there was a lace tablecloth on there once, since I can see a lacy pattern in the finish in some places. Someday I'll refinish the top, but for now, we are using a tablecloth to prevent any more damage to the top. Knowing my kids, there's bound to be spilled drinks and messy meals.

It has nice detailing on the corners, brings to mind the art deco style. And a neat feature is when you pull the top apart for the leaf, the legs don't move, they stay put. Much nicer than having to struggle with the whole table to pull apart or shut the top.

We put the girls all on one side and it's nice, they seem to be eating better than before. Like Gretchen sees her sisters eating something and she is more likely now to eat it rather than pick at it. We put Peter between Andrew and I and we can both encourage him to eat instead of just me, and I can actually eat my food before it gets cold because Andrew can help with his food, too.

We've already had 2 extra people eating with us for a total of 9 people, and there is still plenty of room for all of us to eat comfortably. I'm so glad we got this table and for the people at the thrift shop that made an exception and held it.

There is also a matching cabinet that goes with the table and we hated to separate them, so we got that too. It's in the living room for now, and still empty, until we decide what to do with it. I'm thinking of moving the games into the lower cupboard and then displaying some of our pretty things in the glass area. We thought about moving it into the foyer area, but the thermostat is in the way, so that's out. Just might leave it where it is, it's an unused corner anyway, so hmm... wait and see.

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Afterthoughts

Have you ever had an afterthought that turned out well? A last-minute move that you didn't plan on taking and landed you in the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? I had one of those the other day!

I had to run into town-- a missed appointment that turned into a month-long phone-tag game and I finally gave up and went to the office in person to schedule a new appointment. I wasn't planning to go to the Library, they have new hours and close early on Tuesdays, but since I was so close, only a few blocks away, I might as well go. I had Peter and Sylvia with me. Sylvia is old enough, at 4, to know how to behave and not run around the children's section like a maniac. Peter, on the other hand, let's just say I got some eyeballing from the other patrons there. As I checked out the dvds, I noticed the sign for the book sale they have going on the upper level. With Peter screaming like he was, I had no intention of staying a second longer than necessary, but then, he suddenly calmed down and he was quiet. What the hell-- I'll make a quick run upstairs and see what they got.

Normally, because it's such a small Library, the book sale is not much to look at.. a few tables with books lined in rows, spine up to see the titles, and this sale was no exception. A few random squeals from Peter squirming around in my arm and I almost didn't go around to the other side of the tables, but as before, he suddenly quieted and I went ahead and checked. Lo and behold! Quite a few volumes of the Life Nature Library Series!

22 books total! I haven't researched, yet, to see how many volumes in the set there are supposed to be, maybe 24 I'm guessing, but I am so pleased that my afterthought to the Library paid off! Other than smelling a little musty, the books are in pretty good shape, and the ones I checked, dated 1978. They will be added to our little homeschooling Library. For the most part, I'm not too worried about the age of the books, there haven't been a whole lot of changes with some of the topics and they'll mostly be used for leisure reading. I'll be encouraging the kids to look through these and come to us with any questions.

Any good finds for you lately??

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Same Old, Same Old

Nothing new to report around here. Keeping busy with kids, harvesting the tomatoes and green peppers from the garden, canning the tomatoes...

We went to the store on Sat in the big town and the grocery store had excellent-looking white corn on sale 4/$1 so I caved and bought another crate-- 48 ears. We ate some for dinner, made fresh corn fritters for another dinner and I need to can the rest today. On Sunday, the same grocery store had ads in the paper and the corn is now on sale for 6/$1!! agh! I just might get one more crate of corn...

We had Maisie the dog spayed last week. Poor girl. She gave me such a pitiful look with those brown eyes of hers when I picked her up from the vets in the evening. A couple of days easing into her favorite chair and taking it easy and now she's back to her old self again. We take her in tomorrow morning to remove the stitches and get a rabies shot for her.

The vet is nice; holistic and homeopathic. We found them online and they are not too far for us to drive, we have to leave an hour before the appointment to get there on time. A very hippie sort of house converted into a vet's office. My kind of place. When you go in, there's peace signs and pictures of animals on the walls; an old church pew painted sky blue; an owl puzzle glued together and hung on the wall. Probably not the most sterile of places, but it looks clean and the vet assistant was very nice and easy for me to lip-read and understand. We went through a spay/neuter organization that helps low-income people to get their pets fixed and they were on the list of participating vets. I think we will keep them as our permanent vet for our other animals, I felt very at ease there and so did Maisie.

We took her to another vet previously, and the entire time, Maisie growled. It got to the point that the vet felt the need to muzzle her. It was kind of funny to see her in a muzzle, her tongue working around the edges trying to figure out how to get it off, and at the same time, I was a little disturbed that she was so nervous being there and the vet and his assistant didn't seem to try and calm her or ease her fears. At the vets where she was spayed, she didn't growl once, and only barked when the cat sleeping on the fax machine moved and caught her attention. Big difference in behavior and I'm going to follow her cue and continue to take Maisie there.

We can learn a lot from animal behavior. I have had cats that didn't like a certain person, and I pooh-poohed it and later, I found that person to be not the kind of person I should be friends with. People that my cats adore have usually turned out to be great friends for me, including my husband. The first time I brought him home, I opened the door where my cats were and they ran out and Tiko immediately did the cat thing between Andrew's legs and purred loudly. Tiga held back a little bit, sizing Andrew up and sniffing his hands and legs before deciding he was OK. Tiko and Tiga were great big Tabby cats, my first on-my-own-away-from-home cats. I miss those big fellas! I'll always have a place in my heart for a Tabby cat.

The day is going fast, so I need to get going and do what needs to be done. See ya next Month! :o)

How To: Wet Walnuts (Walnut Syrup)

If you're like me, you love wet walnuts on ice cream! Yum!

Just look at that spoonful!

The only thing I don't like about buying wet walnuts at the store, is the cost-- ouch!

So, I searched and searched and finally found a recipe to make and can my own wet walnuts!

I've been making my own for quite a while now, and the recipe has been tweaked and changed to the way I like it. Here's the way I make it:

You'll need:

8 cups of light brown sugar (for no measuring, buy 2 bags of brown sugar 32 oz or 2 pounds each)

2/3 cup corn starch

3 tsp maple extract

16 cups of walnuts

6 cups cold water

You'll also need your canning supplies plus 10 clean pint-size canning jars and lids.

{Makes 10 pints}

Dump your brown sugar in a large pot and add corn starch.


Add the maple extract

Add the 6 cups of cold water and whisk to combine ingredients.

Bring to a boil.

While waiting for the syrup to boil, get your clean jars and fill with walnuts. Divide the 16 cups of walnuts evenly into 10 jars.

I like to tap the jars on the counter to help settle the nuts and then add a few more, pressing firmly to make sure there is at least 1-inch headspace.

When the syrup starts to boil, let it boil at least 10 minutes.

Using the jar funnel, ladle the hot syrup into each jar, until it reaches the top, leaving 1-inch headspace. Wipe rims, cap with lids, then place into canning pot.

10 jars fit nicely here.

Cover and bring to a boil. When boiling starts, can for 10 minutes.

Let sit in canner off the heat for a little bit, then remove and cover with a towel to keep from cooling too fast. When cool, check for sealed lids and store in a cool place.

Once you open a jar, keep in the fridge.

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Incidentally, this is also the recipe for my pancake syrup, just keep out the walnuts.

When I had the wet walnuts in the canner, I made another batch of syrup.

I love yard sales, where else can I pick up a 1/2 gallon Atlas jar for 25 cents??

The syrup recipe will make 3 quarts. I pour 1 quart into the old syrup bottle and 2 quarts in the 1/2 gallon jar.

Store in the fridge and refill the syrup bottle as needed.

Let me know if you make this and how you like it! This also makes nice gifts for people and you can use those smaller 1/2 pint jars instead.
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Catching up

* None of the fallen feathers from the chickens go to waste around here. The kids like to gather them up and make things with them. Cat toys are the main project, but Evelyn crafted this indian hat and was so proud of it. With all the sales on school supplies going on, I am stocking up on plenty of markers, crayons, pens, construction paper, and glue. Glue goes fast around here and we have already used up one bottle within a week of purchasing it!!

*Sylvia's 'attachment' preference is tape. Lots of it!! She uses so much of my tape that I have to hide it or else it will be gone. On one of our little visits into town, we decided to let the kids have fun in the dollar store and pick one item each to get since they had behaved well that day. Sylvia picked tape! 8 rolls of tape for $1! I tell ya, that was the best thing she could have ever picked! She likes to wrap little toys in construction paper ( trying to get her to switch to newspaper) and lots of tape to seal it up, then she leaves her "presents" around the house for us to find and unwrap. I swear she uses half a roll of tape just to tape one present! But it's her tape and her dollar, so I'm not saying a word. I try to show her she can use less tape, but she pushes my hands away and keeps at it.

*Andrew has the day off on Sunday, so I am going to butcher a rooster or two for dinner that day. It cannot be put off any longer! Just this afternoon, looking through the window, I caught 4 roosters, taking turns, mounting one poor little hen! Poor girl! I rushed outside and scattered them, but told myself it's time for them to go. The young ones are almost as big as the older ones, and if it wasn't for their non-existent spurs, I'd never be able to tell which is which! Only the two older roos have long spurs.

*Working on a wet walnut how-to post. I should have that up next week. I popped open one of the jars I canned last week, poured some on ice cream and it's so good! I'd like to try it with pecans one day, just substitute the walnuts with pecans. Maybe over the holidays when the nuts go on sale... This is when I miss living in Louisiana where we could pick fallen pecans and fill paper bags full of them for free!

*I think Peter is ready to be potty trained. He keeps taking off the diapers or he sticks his hand down the front of the diapers to play with his willy and then the fit gets messed up and the pee trickles down his legs. After the supply of diapers I have runs out, I'll be switching to training pants and then start potty training. I can see the light at the end of the diaper tunnel!! hooray!! more than 8 years of constant diaper changing and I'll soon be done!

*One of the young hens laid their first egg today! Pretty soon, the other ones will start laying and I should be getting at least 8-10 daily. When I have several dozen, I'd like to try and sell some. Make a sign and hang it out front. I might be able to avoid doing that and sell to friends and family only. Did you see that massive recall on eggs the other day??? Good grief! Makes me happy I have my own chickens.

*My mom feel down twice this week. Makes 3 times this year. Nothing broken or sprained, but she gets sore and hurts a few days afterwards. I need to keep a closer eye on her and get her in for a check-up. I want her to live a good long time, watch her grandchildren grow up and hopefully, she'll live long enough to see her great-grandchildren, too.

*Good news/Bad news:: I got my period/I'm not pregnant! It's never fun or easy when Aunt Flo comes to visit me every month, but when she is here, it's a relief to know I have dodged the pregnancy bullet once again. Andrew has an appointment for a consultation for getting snip-snipped! I can't wait! No more worrying when Aunt Flo is late or having to deal with raincoats anymore! Was that TMI??? :o) It's my blog, I can write what I want!

*It's almost time for that children's consignment place to start up again. I think I'll be selling the kids' out-grown clothes there for sure. The foyer has boxes and boxes of too small clothing they don't wear anymore and it looks like a yard sale is not going to happen this year. I am considering volunteering one day a week with the sale, because she added a new bonus to volunteers this year:: for every hour past the required 4 hours you volunteer, 1% will be added to your percentage of the sale. If you just consign, the percentage you earn from the sale of your goods is 50%; with the volunteer hours, if I worked 2 8-hour shifts, that would net me 12 (16 hours minus the required 4) extra percent to my sales making my total 62%! So if I sold $100 worth of items, I'd get back $62 instead of $50. Makes a difference.

Andrew usually gets 2 days off per week, so if I can leave the kids home with him, get there early and stay most of the day, I could handle a day or two per week and try to volunteer at least 4 days which would give me, hopefully, 48 hours of volunteer time. That would be equal to 44 percent added to my 50 which makes 94%! In the past, money earned from the sale of our items went to pay for car insurance. It sure would be nice to have that extra money again. The sale starts Sept 13th, so that gives me a month to get ready for it.

*It's the weekend! Andrew is working Saturday, so I'll be canning tomatoes in the cool of the morning before it gets too hot. Off to bed for me!

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